


fly me to the moon

by liionne



Series: A thousand ways to meet [29]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Astronauts, M/M, NASA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-20
Updated: 2014-02-20
Packaged: 2018-01-13 04:58:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1213543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liionne/pseuds/liionne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He hadn't went out for drinks with Jim, even after a year since they'd first met. They'd went out with the rest of the AsCans, sure, but it had never been a date. Leonard was still unsure about dating an astronaut, after last time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	fly me to the moon

**Author's Note:**

> The ending for this sucked. And it's unbeta'd, so yeah, watch out for typos.
> 
> Oh, and I know absolutely sod all about astronaut training, so anything that's wrong or untrue, feel free to correct me! And for those who are also as clueless as me "AsCan" is short for Astronaut Candidate, and "ISS" is the International Space Station.

"Isn't he a little young?"

"The kid's a freaking genius. Was a pilot in the air force by the time he was eighteen, and then he set his sights on being an astronaut."

"And here he is."

"And here he is." Pike repeated with a nod head tilting as he watched Jim through the window.

Leonard huffed. He'd be doing this job for god knows how long, and he'd never seen anyone as young as this kid was. He had to be what- twenty five? Twenty six? Leonard wasn't used to young ones.

"If you think he's young, wait 'til you see the rest of the crew." Pike smirked, turning to look at Leonard.

His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"We've got a pretty young crew this year." He explained. "Read the medical files."

"I'll read the damn medical files." He muttered, as the treadmill the kid was on began to slow. Pike smirked, clapped him on the back, and entered the small physio room. Leonard really didn't have any choice but to follow.

"Real good, Jim. How do you feel?" Pike asked, standing by the treadmill.

"Please." Jim grinned, taking a gulp from his water bottle. "I could do this all day."

"I'd like to see that." Leonard muttered.

No really, he would.

The kid was shirtless.

And he was damn pretty too.

Young, but pretty.

Leonard mentally reprimanded himself, and turned back to the chart.

He read aloud from the chart, reeling of Jim's data. "His fitness is good. Weight training alright-"

"Just alright?" Jim asked, grin turning to a smirk -  a _cocky_ smirk.

"Exceptional." Leonard all but spat, looking down at the chart.

"That's better." Jim nodded.

With a roll of his eyes, Leonard tucked the chart under his arm, and looked to Pike. "He's a good candidate for Level Two training."

"That's all I need to know. Thank you, Doctor McCoy." Pike nodded. "Jim, go get a shower. Level Two starts tomorrow."

"Yes sir." Jim nodded, waiting until Pike had left to turn to look at Leonard. "And thank _you_."

"Excuse me?" Leonard asked.

"For passing me." Jim clarified.

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "Uh- sure. You were a good candidate."

"Go for drinks with me." Jim said, words falling out in a rush.

"Excuse me?" Leonard asked again, both eyebrows raising now. And that, really, was the obvious indicator of his confusion: a double-eyebrow raise meant definite confusion.

"Go for drinks with me." Jim grinned. "To celebrate."

"You have training tomorrow." Leonard said. "You shouldn't be getting drunk when you have training tomorrow."

"Who said I'd be getting drunk?" Jim asked, head tilting. "I just want to go for one drink. A little drink. To celebrate. If it makes you feel any better, it'll not be just us. If Chekov and Sulu and Spock get in they'll be going to and-"

"I'm not going. I'm on call tonight." Leonard said, before he paused, and snapped. "Put your damn shirt on."

"Fine." Jim grumbled, as Leonard set the chart down and left the room.

~*~

"Until we can fully refuel the plane, there'll be no parabolas training. Instead, gentlemen, we're going to get you fitted up in your suits, and get you in the pool."

Leonard had seen it at least ten times now. Pike explaining to the newest batch of AsCans what they were going to be doing. And usually they started with Parabolas training, sending them up to experience twenty seconds of weightlessness twenty times over, but not today, apparently, which meant that Leonard was back on duty (for Parabolas training he'd send Chapel or M'Benga in there - no way was he getting on a plane of his own accord. He'd have to be sedated first).

He felt kind of bad, too, when he was met with Jim's smiling face, because he had lied. He hadn't been on call.

But he knew better than to get involved with an astronaut. Especially after last time.

"Alright, gentlemen- who's going first?" Pike asked.

Without even needing to be prompted, Jim stepped forward.

It didn't take him too long to get suited up, and Leonard found himself at the edge of the pool once he had gone under, instead of by his usual spot on the benches against the back wall. He was only there just in case, really. In case anything were to go wrong. But in the six or seven years he'd been doing this job, he had never really been needed for poolside training.

He knelt down next to Pike, peering over into the water. "He's eager."

"Damn right he is." Pike agreed, gaze following Leonard's. "Spock," he called over his shoulder. "Suit up and get in there."

Leonard turned over his shoulder, and watched Spock get into his suit. He was older than Jim, sure, but just by a year. Shaking his head a little, Leonard turned back to the pool to watch.

They'd sunk a broken-down capsule down there, and told the AsCans to fix it. The first one was always easy- never a challenge. Jim resurfaced before Sulu could even finish getting his suit on.

Dragging his heavy limbs out of the pool, Jim pulled his helmet off. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and he was about to run a hand over it when he realised he was still in the suit. Chuckling, he turned to let one of the assistants help him out of it.

"Is it fixed, Kirk?" Pike asked.

"Yes sir." Jim nodded. "Spock's just checking it over now."

Pike nodded, and Leonard looked back down to the pool. It was hard to make out their figures down there, underneath the water, but he could still see Spock in his big white suit, and the assistants buzzing around him, just in case.

Jim flopped down beside him, feet dangling into the pool. He was still wearing his wet-suit-

It clung to him like a second skin, and it was _obscene_.

"Fuck, that's hard work." He groaned, leaning back on his hands, tilting his head back and showing off his throat.

Was he doing this on purpose?

"I could do with a massage."

Jim looked up, catching Leonard staring, and he grinned. Leonard flushed a horrible shade of red, and looked away to watch Spock climb out of the pool.

"I'm a doctor, not a masseuse."

"You could be a masseuse if you want to. I've heard about those legendary hands."

Leonard turned to look at him, lips pursing.

"Shut up, Jim."

~*~

"Excuse me, Doctor, but I must inquire as to the purpose of you accompanying the crew to Russia."

He rolled his eyes, and began, "I always accompany the crew to Russia-"

"Because he loves me, Spock, are you blind?" Jim interrupted, grinning as he reached up over his head to stow his coat in the overhead baggage. He flashed a little bit of his abs as he did, and Leonard _totally_ didn't look.

"I always accompany the crew to Russia." Leonard finished. "Easier to have a doctor you know than one you don't should anything go wrong."

Spock gave a nod, as if that satisfied him, and went to take his seat.

Jim, meanwhile, came to sit next to Leonard.

"You've gotta be kidding me." He muttered, casting his eyes up the ceiling.

Jim grinned. "Ten hours, Bones, just me and you."

"Great." Leonard muttered. "Perfect."

Jim was about to speak again when the Captain came over the tannoy, and the flight attendants went through the safety details.

Leonard had always hated flying. Maybe it was working with astronauts, knowing everything that could go wrong, or maybe it was something else. He wasn't sure. He just knew that he hated flying, and yet he put himself through this year after year. He usually tried to sit by Pike- Pike understood when he threw up, or when he ran along the length of the plane to the bathroom.

But he was sat next to Jim, and there wasn't a lot that he could do.

As the plane began to move, Leonard closed his eyes, leaning back against his seat. And when he felt the plane begin to tilt, he gripped the arm rest so hard his knuckles turned white.

What he wasn't expecting was the arm rest to be replaced with a warm, soft hand.

His eyes flew open, and he looked to Jim.

He was pretty sure he'd never seen someone look so concerned before.

Leonard closed his eyes again, and squeezed his hand.

Maybe a ten hour flight with Jim wouldn't so bad after all.

~*~

"I don't know, man, these suits are pretty damn weird." Jim said, as he clambered into one of the Russian suits.

Chekov rolled his eyes. "They're a lot easier than your American ones."

"Only because you've been qualified in one of these since you were six." Jim countered.

Chekov looked like he was smirking. "Five, actually."

Jim grinned as they suited him up properly; he was in the pool in another five minutes, and Leonard settled himself by the side again.

He knew something was wrong. He knew something was wrong when the assistants began to swarm him, unhooking him from the tether that tied him to the bottom of the pool, a few of them holding on to his arms. It was hard to make out what was going on through the water, the gentle waves distorting the image, and it was only a few ounces of self control that kept Leonard from jumping in.

When Jim resurfaced he was spluttering, pulling at his helmet. Leonard was by his side in an instant, first-aid kit in his hand.

"Jim, what happened?" Pike demanded, rushing to his side as the assistants pulled his helmet off.

His helmet, which was half full of water.

"Stupid fucking thing started filling with water." He spat, his breathing ragged. Leonard pulled out a stethoscope, checked his pulse and his respiratory rate. "I was going to pull it off but they told me not to, told me I'd make a vacuum or some shit. Thought I was going to drown."

Leonard turned Jim's face towards him, silently shining a torch at the back of his eyes.

"You're fine." Leonard told him. "Just a little startled."

"Can we check this suit, please?" Pike asked, sending a pointed scowl to the Russian commander who'd came to watch.

"Maybe you should sit this one out." Leonard said, still looking to Jim. "Until your pulse is back to normal."

"Now way." Jim shook his head. "I'm going back down there, no way am I staying up here."

"Jim." Leonard said. "If you go back down there with that kind of pulse rate-"

"I'm going back down, Bones." Jim looked him straight in the eyes, and Leonard was trapped. He was trapped in those big blue eyes, and ten he realised he couldn't deny Jim anything he wanted. "Please."

"What's your professional opinion, Doctor?" Pike asked, stood over their shoulders.

Leonard paused, still caught in Jim's gaze. He sighed, shook his head, and looked up. "He's good to go, if he wants. He's healthy, he's not gonna have a heart attack any time soon."

Pike nodded turning away to see what was wrong with the helmet. When Leonard looked back, Jim was grinning so wide, wider than he'd thought physically possible.

"Thanks, Bones."

With another sigh, Leonard nodded. "You're welcome, kid."

~*~

"Bones, Bones, Bones, Bones," Jim chanted, throwing an arm over his shoulder as they headed towards the cab. "Are you coming to Sardinia?"

"Damn right I am. You really think I trust you to go out into the middle of nowhere without a proper medic? You could break your tibia just walking down the street."

Jim grinned, slipping into the cab and pulling Leonard with him, leaving the driver to throw their suitcases into the trunk.

"I'm glad you're coming. Three weeks in the wilderness without you sounds awful." Jim said, but there was something off to his tone.

Leonard thought it sounded like sincerity.

He hadn't went out for drinks with Jim, even after a year since they'd first met. They'd went out with the rest of the AsCans, sure, but it had never been a _date_. Leonard was still unsure about dating an astronaut, after last time.

But they'd grown closer. They'd shared quarters during the NEEMO mission- three months at the bottom of the Florida ocean and a shared bathroom was going to do that.

But Leonard wasn't about to get that close. Not yet.

"Are you gonna be alright on the plane?" Jim asked, looking over at him. He looked genuinely concerned; Leonard felt his heart swell a little.

"Sit next to me, and sure." He nodded.

"What, so you can use me as a stress ball?" Jim asked. He was grinning again.

"You read my mind." Leonard nodded.

He managed, on the flight. He got through it, squeezing his eyes tight shut, gripping Jim's hand hard enough to break it. If it hurt, Jim didn't mention it. Instead, he kept a hold of his hand, and pushed his bangs out of his face when he threw up.

He was a good friend.

Sardinia, however, was starting to seem even more impossible than the flight over there had. Three weeks of foraging, cave exploration and camping under the stars had seemed a lot easier when Leonard was talked into it by Pike back in Washington, in a warm, comfy office.

Now, not so much.

He took a deep breath as he retrieved his bag, and met with the rest of the group.

First, they hiked. They hiked up the side of a god damn mountain (or at least, it felt like a mountain), and Leonard thought he was going to collapse.

If it wasn't for Jim singing the entire Les Mis soundtrack by his side, he might have given up. It was his desperate desire to get away from his warbling that kept him going.

When they reached the first cave site, they were given a few moments to rest. The crew, of course, who'd been training for the past year to go into outer fucking space, were fine.

Leonard, however, was not.

"Jesus, Bones, are you okay?" Jim asked, looking genuinely concerned as he sat down beside him.

"I'm fine." He grouched, drinking nearly a whole bottle of water off the bat.

"You don't look fine." Jim murmured.

The glare Leonard gave him made him shut his mouth.

"Are you coming in the caves?" Jim asked.

"Nu uh." Leonard shook his head. "That's just for you AsCans. I'm staying up here, where it's safe."

Jim snorted, but he didn't explain why. He didn't need to- Leonard knew that the surface wasn't any safer than the cave system below them.

He watched whilst they clambered down, one after the other. Jim, of course, in his eagerness, went first- but not before planting a goodbye kiss on Leonard's cheek.

Leonard planned to spend his alone time napping, hopefully. He hadn't gotten any nap time on the flight over, obviously, and if he was going to camp out in the wilderness he might as well start now. But he had only just closed his eyes when he heard a shout echo out from the cave, and his comm crackled.

"Doctor McCoy?" It was Uhura's voice- she sounded calm, as usual, but there was a funny quiver to her voice. "Doctor McCoy, do you copy?"

"I'm here, Uhura. What's happening?" He asked, eyes darting in the direction of the mouth of the cave.

"It's Jim. He's hurt. Gash on his leg. We've got a first aid kit down here but- it's pretty damn deep."

"It's fine." Jim interrupted. The crackling and static told Leonard that he'd grabbed the comm from her. "Bones, I'm fine. It's like an inch deep, it's not going to kill me. Tell her to patch it up so we can keep going."

"It won't kill you, but infection might." He said, inching closer to the cave mouth. "Come out now, keep your leg, and you can go back to explore tomorrow. If you stay in there, Jim, god knows what'll happen to that leg."

There was silence, nothing but fuzzy static. And then with a sigh, Jim's voice came back over the comm. "Fine. I'm coming up."

Leonard knew it was all or nothing. And sure enough, five minutes later, Uhura ventured out of the cave, followed by Spock and Sulu carrying Jim into the open.

"Set him down over there, I'll see to him." Leonard instructed.

Jim had a face like thunder as they set him, down, and he crossed his arms behind his head.

"This is bullshit." He muttered, as Leonard pulled away the bandage on his leg.

"You don't have to tell me, kid." He muttered, wincing at the wound. "But it's better you came up - that way we can get you back down there tomorrow."

"I can go back tomorrow?" Jim asked, sitting up.

Leonard nodded as he worked. "Sure you can."

When he looked up to meet Jim's gaze, he was grinning. "I thought you'd want me to sit it out for the next three weeks."

Leonard huffed, and he shrugged. He could tell Jim was grateful; every word was weighted with his gratefulness. "Yeah well, you'd have only ignored me anyway."

Jim chuckled, and he nodded. "Yeah." He agreed. "Probably."

"We'll rest here for tonight." Their guide decided. "It's as good a place as any."

They pitched their tents, and built a fire. Leonard hung back, let the AsCans do it. Or at least, that's what he claimed.

Uhura and the guide shared the tent; it seemed appropriate, them being the only girls and all. Sulu and Chekov took another, and Leonard was about to take a tent all to himself when Jim bundled in beside him.

"Can we share?" He asked.

Leonard sighed, turning to look at him. "Sure." He nodded. "I don't see why not."

~*~

"Bones." Jim whispered. "Bones, c'mon, get up."

It was two weeks into their trip, and they had moved onto their fourth camp site, and their fourth cave. Leonard still hadn't ventured down into them, but that was fine with him.

Jim still insisted they share a tent, and that was fine with Leonard too. Even though Leonard was a cuddler, always had been, so sharing a bed with someone was always difficult. Jim, however, didn't seem to mind when Leonard curled against him during the night, the occasional arm slipping out of his sleeping bag to curl over Jim's chest.

It wasn't the first time Jim had woken him like this: his jacket wrapped around him, kneeling over Leonard and shaking his shoulders.

"Bones, the star are so great from here. C'mon."

And well, who was Leonard to argue?

He shuffled out of the tent and lay by Jim's side, staring up at the stars. Jim was right- the sky from their clearing was beautiful. He could see all of them, he was sure of it. With a smile, Jim lifted his arm, point right above their heads.

"Leo." He said, tracing the shape with his finger.

"Huh." Leonard murmured, watching the night sky with a faint smile.

There was a pause, in which there was nothing but the sound of the fire crackling and animals moving around them.

"Why won't you date me?" Jim asked, turning his head to look at Leonard.

Leonard didn't look away from the stars. "Because it's a bad idea."

"Why?" Jim demanded, propping himself up on one elbow. "Why is it a bad idea? Sure, a year ago I only asked you out because I wanted in your pants but _Bones_ -" His voice sounded so heavy. "I love you."

"Don't say that." Leonard said quietly, head shaking.

Jim looked at him for a moment, lower lip trembling. And just when he was about to flop down beside him again, Leonard decided to explain himself.

"My wife was as an astronaut. Astronaut Candidate 273. She was going to be mission leader, she was great. I met her on the job, when she was just a candidate, an AsCan- like you. Her mission on the ISS was only meant to be a year long, she'd be back before I even missed her, she said."

He was quiet for a long time. Too long.

"What happened?" Jim asked, prompting Leonard to speak again.

"She went out on a mission, collecting samles, and an asteroid hit. Several of 'em, they said. One hit the cord tying her to the station, and it broke. There was no way to get her. they tried everything. She died out there, and we didn't even have a body to bury."

Leonard looked up at the stars, but he couldn't despise them for what they'd done. It hadn't been under anyone's control.

"Shit." Jim murmured. "I'm sorry, Bones."

Leonard took a deep breath, turning his head to look at Jim. "She was having an affair with another astronaut. I only found out when he came back down to earth a year later and confessed."

"What did you do?" Jim asked.

"I broke his nose." Leonard answered.

Jim's eyebrows rose, and there was a hint of a smile to his lips. He was trying so hard not to laugh, but he just couldn't help himself.

"You broke his nose?" Jim asked.

Leonard knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help himself. He snickered, and then he laughed. Jim joined in, and then they were laughing together, trying to keep quiet, not wanting to wake up the rest of the crew. They curled into each other, and when they settled down with sore abdomens and tears spilling over their cheeks, Leonard reliased just how close they were.

"Come back alive, Jim." He said. "Come back alive, and I'll date you."

"Is that a promise?" Jim asked. Leonard had never seen him look so serious in his life.

He leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Jim's lips.

"It's a promise."

~*~

Leonard kept his promise.

Jim had medical tests and debriefing and god knows what else to go through once he had landed again, a year and half later, but Leonard was still waiting. And when Jim finally got out of Pike's office and into the beautiful Washington sunshine, Leonard wrapped his arms around him and held him tight.

"You came back." He murmured against the skin of Jim's neck, eyes squeezed tight shut.

"'Course I did." Jim grinned, pressing a kiss to Leonard's temple. "You promised we'd date, I _had_ to come back for that."

Leonard grinned, pressing his face into the crook of his neck.

"Are you going to keep your promise?" Jim asked.

Leonard looked up, leaning back a little bit. He paused for just a moment before he leaned forward, kissing Jim slowly, softly, with meaning. When he pulled away, he raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

Jim gave a grin so bright the sun seemed to pale, and he pulled Leonard closer to kiss him again.

"Come on," He said, pulling away and hook his arm around Leonard's waist. "Let's go get that drink."


End file.
